His Witch To Keep (Keepers of the Veil) (16 page)

Chapter Eighteen

A
lexi wheezed though the subbasement back to the rented sedan. Caffeine from a Mountain Dew out of a vending machine was all that kept him from collapsing. He refused to acknowledge the agony in his stomach. The trajectory of the bullet didn’t equate with life. Yet, he still breathed. He dropped into the driver’s seat and squinted to focus. The numbers on the dials went double and then back to single.

Someone got in on the passenger side. He unholstered, targeting the new arrival. The world wobbled from even the small movement.

“
Id
ė
ti j
ą
toil.
” Put it away, Nikolai said.

“Why are you here?” He swallowed a welling cough. He would not reveal just how truly close to death he was.

“Call this payback for what you did the other day when you saved my life. I guess you were right that our visions are but suggestions of a possible future. You don’t even want to know what I saw about where this ends.” Nikolai scanned him and whistled low. “You look like shit.”

“Don’t worry. I already future scanned. It’s a bit hazy but doesn’t end well for me. I did not see you here, though. That’s unexpected.”

“Nice to know I can still surprise you once in a while. Get out and let me drive. We have to get somewhere safe.”

Alexi shook his head. “This requires far more than a bullet extraction and a Band-Aid.” He ran a hand over his abdomen. “Stomach hit. Straight through. Unless you’ve got a miracle, this is it.”

“Fine. Maybe this is it. You want to die in a fucking parking garage for some FBI goobers to find you? If you’re not entirely dead, they’ll lock you up in some secret detention facility and torture you for decades.” Nikolai jumped out and rounded the car. He slung Alexi’s arm around his neck and helped him move to the passenger seat. “Maybe I have a miracle.”

Nikolai sped the car in silence out of Boston. Alexi’s mind churned between pain, delirium, and worry about Serenity. Eli better protect her when he was gone.

Nikolai pulled into a hotel. “Don’t die on me yet. I already checked in.”

Alexi grunted assent.

“Got us a room around back. First floor.” Nikolai helped him out of the car and onto the hotel room bed.

Alexi rested his head against the headboard. He waved at his blood-soaked stomach. “It’s not good.”

“You think you’re the only one who knows a witch?” Nikolai flipped on the lights. He held a small vial of brown fluid between his fingers. “Here’s your miracle. Drink this.”

“What is that?” Alexi glared skeptically at the vial of muddy liquid, getting images of
Alice in Wonderland
.

“I’ve been saving this for…well, it seems for you. This potion should heal you.” Nikolai held it toward him and shook the vial in an impatient signal for Alexi to take it. When he didn’t move, Nikolai leaned in and propped the vial against Alexi’s thigh.

“I think I’m done. It’s my time. I can’t keep doing this anymore.”

“Well, I’m sure as hell not doing it. Did that little lady finally get tired of your bullshit and leave you?”

“No, I did the right thing by her.”

Nikolai rolled his eyes and snorted. “
The right thing?
What exactly in your mind is right about walking away from her?”

“You know I can’t have long-term with her.”

Nikolai laughed hard and wiped away a few tears. “You’ve been following that wild woman since the second you met her, however long ago that was. Don’t look shocked. I kept tabs on you. And her.”

Alexi muttered a curse.

“Any woman who had you that interested had to be something unique. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you didn’t even get her in bed until recently. Yeah, say no more. That look says definite
bingo
on next-leveling your relationship only recently. I didn’t know she was a witch until the bar. That surprised me, but she’s a damn good operative. And hot.”

If he didn’t suspect he’d topple over when he stood up, he’d punch his brother.

“Has Hades ordered you to stay away from her?”

He shook his head. “He says nothing about her.”

“Nothing? For how many years have you trailed her? How many times have you covertly guarded her? You are so dense sometimes.” He shook his head. “Quit being blind and fight for her. She’s…well, she’s bloody spectacular. I’d fight you for her, if I thought she’d go for me. But…” His face turned red. “She made it clear that wasn’t happening.”

He grinned.

Nikolai flipped him the finger. “Go to hell. She probably wove a spell or something to make me act so stupid.” He turned serious. “How many women have you met that would be okay with what you do? And I don’t mean about you being an assassin. I mean the you-work-for-a-Greek-god part. Of those who are cool with what you do, who wouldn’t deem you loony tunes if you admitted to Hades speaking in your head?” He raised his eyebrows.

Only one. Serenity.

“What’d she say when you told her?” Nikolai asked.

“She thought it was cool.”

Nikolai shot him a raised double-eyebrow
told you
. “I can’t believe I finally get to say I think you’re being a dickheaded stupid bastard. This is a one-time gift. The witch who made that will never be giving me anything again. Drink.”

He shook his head.

“You asked for this.” In a blur of motion, Nikolai headlocked him and poured the bitter concoction down his throat.

He shouldered Nikolai off him, coughing. “Damn you.”

“How’re you feeling?” Nikolai asked cautiously.

“The same. How did you get this elixir?” He glanced at the empty vial on the bed.

Nikolai’s eyes darted away. “I saved the woman’s life.”

“
So
…you saved a woman’s life and she gave you this as a reward.” He slowly smiled, innuendo laced his words.

“Don’t you
so
me. It’s not like that. She didn’t exactly give it to me.”

“You stole it? From a witch?” He shook his head and chuckled. “That’s bad. And it means it’s very much like that. Nothing else would make you run so hard and so fast unless you had a hard-on for her.”

Nikolai’s face lit up bright red.

“In exchange for not inducing myself to vomit and keeping this potion in my body, you will go get that witch you saved and get her knocked up. I’d prefer to pass a little information on about this business to my successor before I die. That would be far more tutoring than I got. Our uncle liked the secrecy. All he shared with me were a few rules. Like no long-term woman.”

“Like I said, it’s not like that with the witch who made that potion.”

“Don’t bother lying to me about it. I’m dying. If I don’t accept this possible miracle, then you better have a seat so we can have an in-depth chat on what’s coming your way in a few hours. I know you’re looking forward to decades of hunting and killing evil souls. And the torment of having the underworld god in your head twenty-four–seven.”

“Hell no.” Nikolai sighed loudly, obviously pissed. He cursed for a few seconds under his breath. “That witch will probably kill me when I get within spitting distance of her.”

“Perfect. I’ll say a great eulogy for you, unless you prefer that you be saying mine tomorrow. Of course, no one other than you will attend my funeral.”

“That’s sad. Don’t you want anyone at your funeral? Not even Serenity?”

“Especially not her. Vow to me you will visit the witch that gave you this potion.” He pressed his finger into his mouth and leaned over the side of the bed.

“Don’t. Fine. I promise I’ll go find the witch and…we’ll see what happens. No promises on getting her knocked up. We weren’t…didn’t…whatever.”

Alexi’s back hit the headboard as he inelegantly resumed a sit. “If it turns me into a dog or something with pointy teeth, I’m going to bite you.”

Fire burned his abdomen.

Chapter Nineteen

T
wo weeks later Alexi stood in the recessed doorway of a brick building in the heart of downtown Southampton. Set back a few feet from the sidewalk, it provided him the shadows necessary to conceal himself. This was a stupid plan, but he didn’t know how else to get Serenity back in this dimension. She’d been gone to her other place. He didn’t know how he knew, but he knew. She wasn’t here, or at least anywhere here for him to find her. Neither of them could move onward without face-to-face resolution. What noble bullshit. Her not here in this dimension was driving him nuts. He sure as hell didn’t want her moving on.

He glanced up and down the snow-covered yet recently plowed road. The town was shut down like someone had laid down a seven p.m. curfew, and it was only Friday. He pulled his coat tighter around his face. The biting wind tore through his three layers.

Why was Eli jogging alone at this time of night? In this miserable cold? Even though the streets were plowed, he suspected jogging would be all about slipping on ice.

Eli slowed to a walk and sauntered to his SUV.

Dressed in all black like the night, Alexi blended. Graceful. Dangerous. Completely healed. He silently stalked Eli.

As he pulled off his headphones, Eli turned to face him with a gun in his hand. “Did you honestly think I didn’t know you were watching me?”

“I am not here to hurt you.”

Eli scowled. “I’m tempted to shoot you. I’ll make sure it hits somewhere permanent. But, then again,
she
wouldn’t like that, now would she?” He lowered the gun’s muzzle toward Alexi’s crotch. “Maybe I’ll just target somewhere it’ll hurt. A lot.”

“Is she…is she okay?” he asked, unconcerned about the gun.

Eli took a step back, a signal that the threat Alexi represented had finally sunk in. No one other than Serenity was impervious to his aura. Eli grimaced and held his ground. “No, she’s not okay. I don’t know what the hell happened between you two, but she was a hot mess. I’ll help her sort it out. She’s no longer yours to worry about.”

What the fuck did that mean? Had she finally turned to Eli? He pictured choking the cocky druid but resisted. If he was who Serenity wanted to build a life with, then so be it.

“Why are you here?”

He held out the envelope. “Give this to her.”

“You give it to her yourself.” Eli didn’t touch the envelope.

“I cannot reach her. She is not here, not in this dimension. You are the only one who can get it to her. Or get someone to take it to her.”
Like Charlotte.

“What is it? Some sort of sappy good-bye letter?”

He shook his head. “You can look at it.”

“I don’t want you anywhere near her again.” Eli holstered and crossed his arms. “I suppose I should thank you for what you did in Boston for our careers and for taking out Liz, and preventing Serenity from that hell.”

“And saving your ass in that parking deck. Let’s just say you owe me a favor. Or two.”

Eli nodded. “That doesn’t mean you can have her back.”

“This is for her.” Alexi darted forward, pushed the envelope between Eli’s crossed arms and then pivoted to walk away.

“She has to have her destined…if she doesn’t, she’ll die. Her line will die,” Eli said to his back.

Alexi paused and turned back toward Eli. He didn’t mask the agony he felt ripping his soul apart. “I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure she is safe.”

“She doesn’t need your bloody protection. She’s got me.”

Alexi snorted. “How well has that worked out for her so far?” He walked away.
Just take it to her.

Eli yelled, “If you hurt her again, I will hunt you down and kill you.”

I will never hurt her.

Chapter Twenty

S
erenity hobbled into her house on the Scottish coast in her other dimension. She tossed her earbuds and iPod on the hall table and gimped to the bathroom. The Lycra jog pants now sported irreparable tears over the knees. With a wet washcloth she cleaned dirt out of the bloody strawberry scrapes below each knee. Their sting made her eyes burn. She washed her scraped hands. The last time she’d fallen on asphalt while jogging she’d been a teenager. These would take weeks to heal. This was the kind of scar she cared about. It made wearing a cocktail dress tricky.
Not that you’ll be doing any high-society parties anytime soon.

Her search for inner peace and erasing a certain man from her mind was a spectacular failure. This wasn’t the first time in the past two weeks here that she’d hurt herself accidentally. She peeled the Band-Aid off her thumb. The knife had slipped while chopping a salad two days ago. Knife cutting was second nature to her.

The problem was
him
. Even when she was attempting to forget him, he made her jittery and off balance.

She’d worried for a day or two about Alexi dying alone and in pain, but somehow she knew deep in her soul he’d survived. It made no sense. The gunshot had been a death shot for a human, but he wasn’t human. He’d survive.

Had it truly been almost fifteen days since the awful day when Liz died? Since Alexi walked out of her life? Why she even cared after all his deception made no sense. She’d been tempted to flash to his dimension again, and to him about a thousand times. Knowing he could see through her invisibility and her ravaged pride prevented it.

She hung her head while gripping the counter. Soul-deep lethargy sapped her energy. She couldn’t use the excuse of persistent injury as cause for this exhaustion. Matt had healed her, not even leaving the scar she’d requested.

Insomnia contributed to her fatigue. She hadn’t slept well since the moment she woke up in Kat’s house, healed and away from him. Every time she closed her eyes she fantasized about Alexi. When awake, she worried about whatever new hit he attempted.

A quick shower washed away the sweat and blood. Jeans and her favorite
Life Is Good
T-shirt comforted her. But didn’t refresh her in the least.

A small pink note taped to her refrigerator caught her eye. Had this been there before her jog?

She yanked it off and read:
Time for us to meet. Jen bespelled this. You’ll come to us when you shift. Only the girls. All of us. —C

The seven women never got together, at least not since the Confirmation last fall. Bryce had long ago forbidden a group gathering, claiming something about bombs and high risk. When all seven Pleiades had been together all those months ago, she’d loved the camaraderie and the ease of being herself with no need to hide her magic. She’d couldn’t resist going.

First, she put on an ankle holster and chambered her baby Glock. With a deep breath she held the note tight and closed her eyes. She counted through the long seconds of shift blindness and then squinted into the blazing sun’s glare off a white sand beach. The warmth and the clear green ocean suggested somewhere far south of New York. A football field’s length away, the trill of feminine laughter came from beneath a white canopy tent. The magnetism of the power swirling around the ladies lured her, as did the desire to find relief from her exhaustion. Maybe one of them would have an answer, or at least a way to forget him to move on.

As she neared the tent, her mind skittered to Alexi. She wanted his strong arms around her, not six high-maintenance women.
Stop it. He’s out of your life. You should be happy.
Then why did she feel so lost?

Charlotte smiled as she entered the tent and drew her into a tight hug.

“Oh, Serenity,” Kat said and pulled her away from Charlotte, clasping her into a tight, slightly awkward hug, given her enormous pregnant belly. Abruptly, Kat pulled back and moved Serenity’s hands into view. “What’s this?” She traced the scrapes.

Serenity’s face burned. “I fell.”

“Right.” Skepticism laced Kat’s tone. She squinty-eyed her. “You working again?”

Serenity shook her head. “I really did trip while jogging today. I’ve turned into a klutz in the past few weeks.”

Kat smiled. “Good. I don’t want you doing that spy stuff anymore. I worry.” She sucked in a breath and swiped a tear from her eye. “This…what you’re carrying around inside has got to stop.” Kat massaged her forehead and stepped away from her. “We’re going to make this right.”

“That’s impossible. Everything’s so…messed up.” Moisture gathered in her eyes. A few quick blinks cleared the wetness. She glanced around, meeting the faces of the women she’d known well since childhood. They were bound by the mutual tie of mothers lost too early and of families ripped apart by tragedy and concealed magic. The compassion and support coming from each hit her hard. This was her family. God, she’d missed them. She almost crumpled into a sobbing heap. It felt so right to have all of them together. “Why are all of you here? Why isn’t Bryce having a heart attack?” She bit her lip. “Did he already croak, and this is his funeral?”

Jen shook her head and clucked. “He’s too stubborn to die. You needed us. It won’t do for the only one of us who qualifies as kick-ass to be…drifting away. What you did at the Confirmation when all of us were scared shitless and bullets were flying was hands-down amazing. We were out of our minds terrified and you stood up, organized us, and started fighting. Big wow.”

“Even if she didn’t listen to my no-weapons rule,” Charlotte grumbled.

“My gun saved our butts,” Serenity replied.

“It did.” Jen laughed. “We’ve also decided that your guy saved us in that field that night.”

Serenity’s gaze shot to Kat, whose cheeks blazed red. That wasn’t supposed to be public knowledge.

Kat rushed to say, “Sorry. I know you didn’t want them to know about him and what he did. But Charlotte hated him. She planned to kill him for you. I knew he’d saved us. Twice. He’s on our team, even if he did tase me. I had to set Charlotte straight. Then Charlotte told everyone.” She grinned broad. “He’s a little dark, but I don’t think there’s any other guy who could stand up to you. He doesn’t let you run all over him, does he?”

“He’s a pain in the ass.” Serenity shook her head and reluctantly smiled. “We butt heads a lot.”

Everyone laughed. She couldn’t help but laugh, too, so tremendously relieved that they accepted him. Perhaps her being with Alexi might not be so wrong.

Charlotte handed her an orange drink in a champagne glass.

“Mimosa?” Serenity asked.

Charlotte nodded and raised her glass. “A toast. No more secrets.”

Kat added. “To finding destineds and fantastic sex.”

“I second that,” Charlotte said.

“Looking forward to it,” Jen said.

Everyone raised their glass and paused, waiting for her.

The tears fell and she didn’t bother to wipe them away. She raised her glass. “To uncertain futures. And sisterhood.”

“Sisterhood,” everyone said. Seven glasses clinked simultaneously. A power surge shook the ground. They all laughed.

In awe, Serenity said quietly, “We are more powerful together.”

Charlotte beamed. “I’ve been trying to tell those bullheaded mules over there that’s the case. We need to make a change. Time for us to step out of the darkness and stop doing this alone. If we’re going to be labeled as witches and hunted, then maybe we need to act like a coven.”

Serenity giggled. “I just got a vision of us in black gowns around a big cauldron.”

Kat laughed. “Love it. I’m buying the outfit tomorrow.”

Jen offered, “I know some really fun potions.”

She wiped at her moist eyes and gazed toward a condo, where several Sentries stood on the landing above the wooden stairway that emptied onto the beach. Eli, Bryce, Matt, and Charlotte’s husband looked pale and shocked.

Kat grinned. “To girl power.” She held up her glass and sipped.

Jen asked, “Is that alcoholic?”

“I promise it’s only orange juice, but as soon as this little guy arrives, it won’t be.” Kat glanced heavenward. “I can’t wait.”

“I think we scared the boys,” Serenity said, nodding toward the condo stairs.

“Good,” Kat said. “Maybe they’ll realize that we’re able to fend for ourselves and stop being up our asses about security.” She smiled brilliantly and waved to Matt.

“You fighting with Matt again?” Serenity asked Kat.

Kat patted her round pregnant stomach and rolled her eyes.

“That man kisses the ground you walk on. He’d do anything for you,” said Serenity.

“Maybe you need to inform him of that. He lives to prevent me from doing anything.” Kat scowled. “Well, anything outside the bedroom.”

Everyone laughed.

Charlotte touched Serenity’s arm. “Walk with me.”

She followed in silence. They strolled down the beach. Once they were out of earshot of the others, Charlotte said, “It’s pretty here.”

“Yes.” She watched gulls skim the surprisingly calm waters. “Where are we?”

“Barbados. I wanted us somewhere warm. Eli has been bugging me to get you back to this dimension. He worried you’d slit your wrists or something stupid. I assured him that you disappearing had nothing to do with druid shit, and that you weren’t the suicide kind of girl.”

“I didn’t want the suffocation of
them
protecting me. I quit MI6, but you probably already know that. Everyone should be thrilled. Now I’m taking a vacation to think things over.”

“You’re not going to find him over there,” Charlotte said softly.

“I’m not looking for anyone there.”

Charlotte sipped her mimosa and continued to stroll. “He can’t pop over there. I’m sure if you wait long enough he’ll try to hijack me to get to you. This bond is crazy on the boys. He might try to deny it, but it’ll drive him insane. Look what he’s already done for you.”

“I might be suffering from the bond, but not him. I really think it’s finally over, regardless of what all of you guys think. You’re right. We’re not meant to be. He…”

Charlotte stopped so abruptly that she spilled a bit of her mimosa. “You can’t still be mad at him for Liz.”

“Liz…no. I can’t believe what she was. All those people she murdered over the past few years. Did you know she was behind the London Underground bombing last year?” Serenity gazed sightlessly at the horizon. “It’s horrifying. To think I didn’t know. I was in the frigging intelligence business and I didn’t know.”

Charlotte stepped in front of her ocean view and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I can’t believe I’m about to defend the death reaper. Aside from the interpersonal minutia and bent feelers that come with any man with as much testosterone and scary killing ability as that boy’s got, has Alexi Jovec ever hurt you?”

“No. Did you actually say
bent feelers
?”

Charlotte cracked a small smile. “Did he do anything other than protect you?”

Serenity shook her head.

“Then what in the blazes are you angry at him about? Get out of that Scottish mausoleum and go fight this out with him. No boy is smart enough to realize they’ve been chosen to be our destined. I honestly think the gods have broken their rules about druids and he’s the one for you. Maybe the gods are shaking up the lines or infusing more power into their descendants. Who knows? He might try to convince himself that you two can’t work, or it’s not allowed, or whatever absurd death reaper rules he follows are true, but that guy is yours, honey. Sounds like you’ve been bouncing in and out of each other’s lives for long time. He won’t stop following you. All the signs are there.”

“I don’t know.”

“I won’t say I like him very much. I won’t be inviting him over for dinner anytime soon. You, dear, are always welcome, though. But, then again, Alexi did everything he could to fix your life. That does earn him a few brownie points. He even called Eli and coerced him into helping him with the Liz situation, which is swallowing a lot of ego pie for someone as secretive and independent as Alexi. He was also probably mad as a riled-up hornet at Eli since the boy, bless his misdirected heart, made Alexi think the two of you were now getting it on.”

She gasped. “Eli didn’t do that, did he?”

Charlotte nodded. “Stupid. No doubt.”

“Cripes. I need to talk with Eli.”

Charlotte grabbed her arm in a stinging grip. “Alexi gave you back everything you lost, didn’t he? You could make your own choice about MI6. No one is trying to assassinate you any longer. He paved the way for you to find your guy, who he probably thinks is Eli. Honey, that means Alexi is probably living in a world of physical and emotional agony just as much as you. As stupid as it may be, he might think he’s doing right by walking away from you.”

“He killed Liz. That was…I should’ve done it. She was my responsibility.”

Charlotte let go of her. “It would’ve eaten away at your soul for the rest of your life if you had. He prevented that. I’m convincing myself that I might actually like him a little bit. So, why are you mad at him?”

“I don’t like that he lied to me. He played me. How can I ever trust him?” She whirled away. “Then he got himself shot being heroic. He stepped in front of me just as Liz shot at me.” She turned back to face Charlotte. “It tore through him and into me. Direct stomach hit on him, but he pushed me so it only got my side. That was a death shot for him. I don’t even know how he continued to fight.” She added with a whisper, “Then he saved Eli. I’m so mad at him.” She fisted her hands. “I should’ve been the one to kill Liz. He asked me not to. But she was my fault. I must’ve done something wrong by her. How could she have gone so wrong? Maybe I wasn’t there for her enough after Mom and Dad died. I don’t know.” She gazed over the brilliant panoramic view of the ocean until her eyes burned from the glare coming off the water.

Charlotte pulled her against her chest in a one-arm hug with her drink in her opposite hand. “Oh, honey. None of this is your fault. None of it was your responsibility. That child was born with a screw loose. Or maybe just with no screws tightened. There’s nothing you did wrong. It wasn’t your responsibility to raise her. She was old enough to know better when your parents died. Your mother came to me, scared, a few months before she left us. She knew Liz was going wrong and feared what she might do to you. Did your mother ever tell you that Liz tried to kill you more than once when you were younger? Remember that time you fell off the dock at your lake house in February and into the icy water?”